Mining machine



Jan, 6, i925.

R. E. NOBLE MI NING MACHINE Filed De'c. 1'7, 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 6, 1925.

R. E. NOBLE MINING MACHINE Fld De-. 17, 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 R. E. NOBLE MINING MACHINE Filed Dec. 17, 1919 S-Sheeiss-Sheef. 3

Jan. 6. 1925'. y I 41,521,733

72%' @igwy 1 j @d Jan, 6, 1925.

1,521,788 R. E. NOBLE MINING MACHINE Filed Deb. 17, 1919 5 Sheets-sheet s Patented Jan. 6, i925.

i UNITED .STATES Isaias@ PATENT orifice.

RALPH n. NOBLE, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNoR To MORGAN GARDNER ELECTRIC v COMPANY, or CI-IICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MINING MACIIINE.

Application filed. December 17, 1919. Serial No.y 345,527.

citizen of the United States, residing .atr

Chicage, in the county of Cook and State Vof Illinois, have invented certain new and use.

ful Improvements in Mining Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for cutting kerfs in coal or other material and is particularly applicable to cutter chain maehines'of the breast type. vIn machines of this character the cutting operation is performed by successive reciprocating movements of the cutter chain frame, and this invention provides means whereby a machine or apparatus of this character may be mounted so that it may be swung in a horizontal plane to cut .in any desired direction from a main support or make a succession of radial cuts; and may also be raised and lowered and adjusted in a vertical plane in Order to make 'the cuts at any desired height or angle. Another important feature of the present invention is the provision of means whereby the machine may be removed from place toplace and may be swung automatically to regulate the position of same on the supporting truck while passing around curves as in narrow passage-ways or workings.

The objects of this invention are to provide a new and improved type of mining apparatus; to provide a mining machine of the breast type which may. be .moved vertically and horizontally on a suitablesupport; to provide a self-propelling mining apparatuswhich will 'pass around comparatively short curves and through narrow openings although being of considerable length r,and

in general' to provide such an improved construction as will appear more fully lfrom the following specification.

In the accompanying ing this invention:

Figure'l is a side view of a machine emdrawings illustratbodying the lprincipal features thereof;

Figure is a plan view; A

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the action of the machine in moving around a curve;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the turn-table showing 'the arrangement for locking same in adjusted position;

Figure 5 is a detail of an adjustablev lock- Figures 6 and 7 are details of a sprag or brace; j

'Figure 8 is an enlarged side adjustable locking device; 'Y Y Figures 9 and 10 are details of a swivel joint; and l i I .Figures 11 and 12 are details vof the de vices for supporting the frame on the truck. Figure -18 is a cross sectional View taken through the central part of the machine.

As illustrated in these drawings, 6 represents a mining machine of the breast type having a cutterchain 7, and an operating motor S. This machine may be of any ordinary or preferred form of construction', but as the details thereof form no part of this invention, ,further descriptionwill not be necessary. y

This machine is adjustably mounted on a turn-table orv platform 9. The frame 10 of the machine is provided at` the rear end with an armor bracket 11 which is supported on a jack 12 on the rear end Vof the. turn-table Any suitable form of jackfmay be utilized but I have shown a screw jack which is operated by a ratchet handle 13.

yThe vforward end of the frame 10 is cari-- view of .the

when vthe acks 18 are raised or lowered, the l forward ends VofA the lever-SI15 willhave a correspondingly multiplied movement so that the front end of the machine may be raised or lowered aconsiderable distance with a small movement of the jacks.

The turn-table 9 is rotatably mountedon a platform 20, being` pivoted thereto at l21, and the platform is preferably provided with .anti-friction'rollers 22 so that the machine may be easily swung Vin ahorizontal direction.' This platform is carried on, or forms a part of a vehicle frame 23. The forward end of the vehicle frame is supported on a truck 24, and is preferably connected `thereto by means of ak ball joint swivel 25, so that the truck may have comparatively free actionwi-th respect to the frame. The

vehicle trame is supportedat the sides hy anti-friction wheels or rollers 26 2'? which rest on plates 28 at the sides ot' the truck as shown in Figures 1l and l2. rlhe truck 24rprovided with wheels 29 which run on the track 30. The platform 2O ispreferably .provided at either side with steady jacks 8l which are adapted to be used with the usual pipe extensions l(not shown). Y

lt will be noted that when the turn-table 9 is rotated to adjust the position otthe ma- 'chine for making aout, it will be necessary Y to have some men 36 in the platform 20, the holes and 36 being spaced or in staggered relation to each other. lilins 3T `are adapted to be inserted "lirough the holes in the turn-table and platform, for holding the parts in adjusted posit-ion. r"he holes andl are positioned to give the usual amount of circumferential movement of the machine tor making the successive Ycuts. and the opera-tion oft this arrangement will be lreadily understood from Figure et. The pin 37 is shown as being inserted in the hole 34 and engaging with one ot the holes 3G. 'Vhen the operator desires tov swing the machine to the next position, he removes the pin from the hole and inserts it in the hole 33 at which time it will ride on the sui-tace of the platform 20. rEhen as he swings the turn-table, the pin is in position to register with the next hole and will drop into this hole when arriving at the nest cutting position for tl'ieni-achine. .lt will be noted that this stepY by step movement may be co. tinued ttor the successive cuts and the machine may he operated from either side. Y

vln some instances it may be desirable to make a cut without svinging the in chine the full distance het-Ween twol of these holes, or to adjust. the machine a short distance from one of such positions. For this purpose l provide an adjustable locking dev-ice as shown in Figures 5 Vand S. This comprises a pin or rod 33 which is bent at one end to engage with the holes 33 or 3.4. and 'threaded at the. opposite end 394 for engagement with' the correspondingly threaded hole in the plug or pin 40. which is. adapted to engage with any of the holes or It will be readily seen that by adjusting the plug il@ on the rod 38, the distance between the holes engaged by these parts may be varied so as to hold the mining machine in adj-usted position.

The torward end ot the frame 23 has a lug or projection All, to whichis jointed a spragor brace 42, This hrace is preterabl;7 formed of tubing and has a slot @L3 in the upper side for engagement with a catch el which is secured to a rod or pin l5 rotatably mounted in the end of the frame 23. This .catch is held in engaging position by a .so that the operator may release the catch and drop the sprag at any desired time.

The vehicle frame 23 has a beam or reach rod 5l extending rearwardly and connected by means oE a swivel joint to a propelling truck h3, the joint heing Yformed as shown in Figures 9 and l0 so that truck frame -l may oscillate horizontally and vertically with respect to the beam. rlhis lis accomplished by means of a. yoke carried by vertical pivots 56. which engage with bearings in the frame, thisyo-l: having a horizontal pivot 5,7 which engages with a hole in the end ot the beam 5l..

The propelling truck is provided with driving wheels 58 which are driven by means of any suitable drivingv gearing from a pro.A pelling motor 5.9. This truck is also provided with controlling apparatus for controlling the motor and is plefelablyprovided with Va reel (5). tory carrying an electric cable for supplying current to the motors.

It will be noted that hy having a separate propelling truck, the apparatus vmay be made oit comparatively small. height so that the machine may be operated Where there is but little head room. lt will however, also be noted that the apparatus is of considerable length and one of the particularly novel features of the present invention is the arrangement wherebythe machine may he swung l automatically while ypassing around curves so that it will clear the side walls of the passage-way orworkings. ln order to do this, the propelling truck frame 5e has attorwardly projecting arm 6,1V rigidly secured thereto and the real* end of the turn-table 9; has` a projection 62 which may be connected tothe arm by means of a link 63. This link is pivoted to. the projection 62 and its free4 end is'normally disconnected from the arm 61, but may be pivoted thereto by meansI of one of the pins 3T.

W hen the machine is to be operated, it is moved up to the'face or" the coal and the supporting portion may be steadied by means of the jacks. and brace shown, as well as by means of othery jacks commonly employed for such (purposes. The mining mach-ine itself is then brought to the desired height Y the turn-table as the trucks pass aroundY a curve. .The ar- 'and position by means of the jacks 12 and 1S and the cut is made in the usual manner by reciprocating the cutter frame or arm. qWhen the cutter chain frame has been retracted, the machine is swung in a horizontal direction preparatory for the next cut which is then made, and by continuing this operation a Vkerf may be formed across the entire face of the coal.

Vhen the machine is to be moved vto another room or entry, the pin 37 is inserted through the link 63 and arm 6l so that 9 will be swung on its center rangement is such that the turn-table with the machine carried thereby will be held at all times at approximately a tangent to the curve so that it will project the least possible amount over the track.

It will be noted that various changes may be made in the arrangement of the parts and details of construction, in order to adapt my improved apparatus to different mining conditions and therefore I do not Wish to be limited to the exact arrangement above described, except as specified in the following claims in which I claim:

l. A mining apparatus comprising a propelling truck, a trailer truck, a vehicle frame pivotally mounted lon saidv trailer truck and connected to the propelling truck by a swivel connection, a turn-table on said vehicle frame, and a mining machine adj ustably mounted on said turn-table.

2. A mining apparatus comprising a propelling truck, a carrier truck, a frame supported by said trucks, a turn-table mounted on said frame, and a breast cutter chain machine adjustably mounted on said 'turn-table.

3. A mining machine construction comprising a self propelling truck, a second truck, a frame pivotally mounted on said second truck, a swivel joint connection between said frame and the propelling truck, a turn-table mounted on said frame, and means connecting said turn-table and pro pelling truck whereby the turn-table will be forth,

swung when the apparatus' is moving around a curve. r

4. In an apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of two trucks, an articulated connection between the trucks, a support rotatably mounted on one of'said trucks, and means for connecting the support with the other truck whereby the support will be rotated when the trucks pass around a curve. 1 f

5. In a mining machine construction, the combination of a truck having track wheels, a frame, a universal joint connection between the frame and truck, a truck having track wheels, an armv from said frame, a swivel joint connection between said arm and the self propelling truck, an arm projecting from said self propelling truck, a turn-table on said frame, connecting the front end of the turn-table with said last mentioned arm whereby the turn-table will be rotated when the trucks are passing around a curve.

6. The combination'of a frame, a breast machine, a cross piece, levers pivotally connected to said .cross piece at the forward ends thereof and pivotally connected to the frame at the rear ends thereof, and jacks between said levers and frame vfor swinging the forward ends of the levers.

7. In an apparatus lof the character set the combination of a frame, a truck for supporting one end of said fra-me, a self propelling truck for supporting theA other end of the frame, jointed'connections between the frame and trucks, a horizontally rotatable frame mounted on said first named frame, a connection between the rotatable frame and the self propelling truck whereby the rotatable frame may be held in predetermined relation to the track on which the apparatus moves, a breast machine mounted von said rotatable frame, and adjusting means for adjusting the machine vertically, substantially as described.

' RALPH. n. NOBLE.

self propelling Y and a link for 

